Founded in 1978, Versace is an Italian fashion design house established by the late Gianni Versace and continued to this day by various members of his immediate family after his untimely death in 1997. Debuting with a line of clothing for women, the house was an instant success and was followed by a line of clothing for men and its first boutique in Milan the next year. Drawing from influences in contemporary street life, films, art as well as classical Greek and Roman history and design, Versace became a favorite amongst celebrities and often used the rich and famous jet-setters in his advertising campaigns. His lavish shows were pop-culture events and in fact Versace is often credited with contributing to the "supermodel" phenomenon of the 1990s when the design house cast every top fashion model for its 1991/1992 Autumn and Winter runway show.